“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it." Psalm 127:1
The Broadbent Building
The Broadbent Building project consisted of completely refurbishing an existing 45,000 square foot, three-story, reinforced concrete building in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The current structural frame was constructed in 1960, with some components remaining from the previous building dating back to 1898. The current owner’s scope for the project included completely re-skinning the building due to the 1960’s era cladding deteriorating, leaking, and being dated in appearance.
The main entrance on the north side of the building was reworked to feature multistory open areas and a vaulted skylight. A corridor through the building for a previous bank drive-through was filled in to allow the interior space to be used by the current restaurant tenant. Window openings were added to the east elevation which greatly improves both the interior and exterior space.
The structural design for this project included significant changes to the exterior. A new support structure was designed for the new exterior façade featuring a combination of reinforced masonry and structural steel. New exterior balconies and an extended parapet were added on the prominent northwest corner of the building.
Through careful engineering, the original building structure was successfully re-skinned with many new features added which enhance both the building and the surrounding area. The project involved many engineering challenges due to the marriage of new and existing materials and different material types.